Chi Mhende on how she prepared to play a man in Generations The Legacy

By Drum Digital

07 June 2016

When actress Chi Mhende first appeared on SABC 1's primetime soapie, Generations: The Legacy a couple of months ago playing the role of young bachelor, Wandile Radebe no one knew that the role was actually being played by a woman.

The news that Wandile was actually a woman in real life came a few months after Chi had been on the show. The news broke through social media when some people posted about it.

A lot of people have been intrigued by this actress and how she manages to convincingly play a man. Chi says despite having auditioned for other roles for the show over six years, playing Wandile was a great, hard and yet exciting experience.

"To prepare for playing Wandile I had to take a look at sexual identity, gender dysphoria, body dysphoria and I really allowed myself to fall into the physicalization of the part," Chi explained in a recent interview with SABC 3's Expresso Show.

Chi also said to prepare for the role she googled a lot to do with men including their mannerisms.

Chi is the first woman on Mzansi television to play a man so convincingly. Chi has played a man before as Earnest Worthy in the play The Importance of being Earnest.

Generations The Legacy plays Mon- Fri on SABC 1 at 8pm.

Source: Expresso Show

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